Mizuta Kenzan – Peach and Plum Trees – vintage Japanese calligraphy on shikishi
Vintage Japanese calligraphy on shikishi by Mizuta Kenzan, dated to the spring of 1956.
The large inscription presents a classical saying: “Peach and plum trees remain silent, yet a path forms naturally beneath them.” The phrase expresses the idea that genuine character and achievement attract others without self-promotion.
The work is signed Kenzan and bears one introductory seal and two concluding artist seals. The dated inscription records the spring of the Fire Monkey year, corresponding within Kenzan’s lifetime to 1956, Showa 31.
The shikishi is preserved with its original paper folder. A biographical label inside the folder identifies Mizuta Kenzan and records his early achievements at the state-sponsored Teiten exhibitions, including three Special Selection Awards and his recognition as a recommended artist of the Imperial Art Academy. The signature, seals, dated inscription, and folder label provide a consistent documentary attribution.
Mizuta Kenzan (1902–1988) was a Japanese nanga painter and calligrapher associated with the Kyoto art world. He trained under his elder brother, the established nanga artist Mizuta Chikuho, and studied the Chinese classics with the Confucian scholar Fujisawa Nangaku. Kenzan received Teiten Special Selection Awards in 1922, 1925, and 1927, entering the recognized exhibition circle of the Imperial Art Academy in 1928.
After the war, he participated in the Nitten exhibition system, founded the Seiseisha art group, and helped re-establish the Japan Nanga Academy in 1960. His works are held by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, and other Japanese collections.
The large inscription presents a classical saying: “Peach and plum trees remain silent, yet a path forms naturally beneath them.” The phrase expresses the idea that genuine character and achievement attract others without self-promotion.
The work is signed Kenzan and bears one introductory seal and two concluding artist seals. The dated inscription records the spring of the Fire Monkey year, corresponding within Kenzan’s lifetime to 1956, Showa 31.
The shikishi is preserved with its original paper folder. A biographical label inside the folder identifies Mizuta Kenzan and records his early achievements at the state-sponsored Teiten exhibitions, including three Special Selection Awards and his recognition as a recommended artist of the Imperial Art Academy. The signature, seals, dated inscription, and folder label provide a consistent documentary attribution.
Mizuta Kenzan (1902–1988) was a Japanese nanga painter and calligrapher associated with the Kyoto art world. He trained under his elder brother, the established nanga artist Mizuta Chikuho, and studied the Chinese classics with the Confucian scholar Fujisawa Nangaku. Kenzan received Teiten Special Selection Awards in 1922, 1925, and 1927, entering the recognized exhibition circle of the Imperial Art Academy in 1928.
After the war, he participated in the Nitten exhibition system, founded the Seiseisha art group, and helped re-establish the Japan Nanga Academy in 1960. His works are held by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, and other Japanese collections.